Ahmed invites us to a volleyball match. Although he is not playing himself today, we are excited because the men are taking on the favourites Midelt. It's a clash between the league leaders and the league runners-up. We don't know exactly which league it is, but we don't care. The main thing is that we can be there. When I ask Ahmed if we need tickets, he just smiles. I'll understand why later.
First we have tea in the village and get to know Ahmed's big family: a cousin here, a brother there. Or am I confusing something? They all seem to be related somehow. We have now developed our own theory: The word friend or colleague doesn't seem to exist in Arabic, so it's easier to give everyone a family name. At some point, we think the family tree here is a circle. Or maybe it's just a mistranslation. Who knows for sure?
The game starts in the middle of the midday heat. Ahmed regrets that although the club is really good, it doesn't have a proper hall. At least a roof would be an advantage, especially in this summer heat. The referee and scorekeepers protect themselves with caps and scarves over their heads, while the players have to make do without protection. We stand on the edge of the pitch, first watching the warm-up exercises, then the ball girls, and gradually the whole village gathers to watch. The excitement is palpable, everything is at stake!
Although volleyball is not as popular as football in Morocco, it still has a growing following. The sport is mainly played in schools, universities and local clubs. The Fédération Royale Marocaine de Volleyball (FRMVB) is the umbrella organisation that promotes the development of the sport in the country and organises national and international competitions.
Gerd, who played volleyball for years, is fascinated: stone floor! How are you supposed to slide on your knees? Strong backlighting! How are you supposed to keep an eye on the ball and the players? All these thoughts are out of place here: people are playing, not complaining. At some point, the club president realises that an international audience is present. We are. A few chairs are quickly fetched from the school and mint tea is served for us from a tea room. The spectators stand all around us, sitting in the shade on the ground by the walls. We are the only ones perched on school chairs, drinking tea and cheering on "our" team. Of course we cheer for CAS, the "Club Aoufous des Sports".
The atmosphere is heated, the game is sometimes just in our favour, sometimes just in Midelt's favour. The lads on the sidelines sing something about rotten apples, which we don't understand at first. Everyone laughs. Later I read that Midelt is THE apple region of Morocco. Obviously the opponents are being maligned on the sidelines with the chants.
Like everywhere else in the world, emotions are running high and the testosterone is palpable. Some players are not at all happy with one of the referee's decisions, coaches, club presidents and others on the sidelines get involved, there is discussion, shouting and some even get violent. A yellow card is shown, followed shortly afterwards by a red card. Ahmed assures us that this has never been seen here before and that they didn't even know the referee had such cards with him. After about ten minutes of vociferous discussion and one player being sent off, the game can continue.
"We" win, but by a wafer-thin margin and very narrowly. But we win. There's cheering, almost everyone shakes hands, the offender is allowed to rejoin the group and all is well again. After almost three hours of pure energy in the dust, blazing sun and without any injuries worth mentioning, we part company. Some satisfied, some not. That's the way it is when one team wins and the other inevitably loses.
It was a wonderful day for us, but now we really have to move on. The Ziztal still has such beautiful spots in store for us.
Merci for "travelling with us
Do you think our travel experiences might be of interest to others? Then you can share the Share post quietly. By e-mail or however you want to do it.
In addition, if you haven't already done so, you can use our Newsletter subscribe. Here you will receive all our experiences in your mailbox whenever we publish something new or once a week on Fridays: live-pur.ch/newsletter
We are also very happy to hear your views, your tips or your questions. Just comment on the post!
